


Powerful Man

by AnnieK



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Class Struggle, Coming Out, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, Falling In Love, Grief/Mourning, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Politics, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 06:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17761160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieK/pseuds/AnnieK
Summary: With the war over and King Ryoma crowned, Takumi is ready to finally live up to his title as Second High Prince of Hoshido. Really, he is. He just wishes he could do it somewhere other than the capital of Nohr. And with ANYONE other than King Leo.Takumi goes to Nohr to oversee the aid effort. Leo learns how to ask for help. Takumi learns a lot of things.





	Powerful Man

The thick fog lay like a blanket over the Hoshidan delegation as they entered their second day on the road to the capital of Nohr. The last time he’d been this far west the ever-present fog had weighed so heavily on Takumi that it had taken at least a week of hunting and swimming in the Hoshidan countryside before he began to feel like himself again. His mother had always said that Takumi was like a little weed - he required direct sunlight and was always getting into places he didn’t belong.

Well the second part was certainly true, Takumi thought glumly as he surveyed the rocky hills and patchy dead fields that defined Nohr. It was likely that he had never been more out of place than he was now, on his way to his one-year assignment (or _sentence_ , more like) as the new Hoshidan king’s ambassador to Nohr. And this time he was sure it would take much more than a few days of sun to shift his foul mood.

Not that a reprieve from the dreary Nohrian climate was on the table any time soon. King Ryoma, had made that much clear when he’d called Takumi in to his quarters that day and asked, or rather, told him to oversee the Hoshidan aid effort in Nohr. When Takumi had protested, Ryoma had given him the same look he had when they was young and he would cry in front of visiting dignitaries. The look that said “you’re a prince, act like one.”

But prince or not, it was, at best, thoughtless of Ryoma to send Takumi away when he did. At worst it was an intentional ploy to get Takumi out of the way to make room for his superior older sister.

After the shock of the war and the excitement of Ryoma’s coronation had died down, his first order of business had been reconstruction of the old road between Castle Shirasagi and Windmire, cutting down the travel time between the two kingdoms exponentially. _Corrin Road_ was its new official name, two long unbending stretches connected by the _Azura Bridge_ over the Bottomless Canyon. The names were a little on-the-nose if you asked Takumi (no one had), but then again so was the massive ravine that divided the two countries that hadn’t known peace in generations.

Once the road had been laid and the first shipments of food and drinking water were on their way into Nohr, the king had set his new administration to the task of planning a royal tour of Hoshido to re-introduce the people to their long lost princess. Complete with parades, feasts, and grand speeches from the royal siblings about love and bravery and the fortitude of the Hoshidan people, the tour would visit every major town in the country and be open for all to attend. Hoshidan festivals were world-famous, people traveled from far and wide to attend, even sneaking out of Nohr when tensions were at their highest to attend New Years festivities. And this weeks-long celebration of Corrin promised to put to shame all that came before it.

Orochi had quickly installed herself as head of the planning committee, and treated the project with more seriousness than Takumi had seen her approach anything, ever, including matters of actual life and death during the war. She quickly built a small army of the best artists, chefs, designers and party-planners in Hoshido, and she commanded her troops with an iron fist. It was not uncommon at Castle Shirasagi to see servants and nobles alike scatter as she stormed down the hall from one meeting to another.

Early in the process, she conscripted Takumi’s own retainer, Oboro, into designing matching outfits for the royal family, with a different theme for every stop on the trip. Much to Takumi’s chagrin, Oboro had happily thrown herself into the task, and had taken to using him and Hinata as her personal mannequins, often without asking their permission. After the third time Oboro had wrapped him in a kimono meant for his sister, Takumi decided he’d had enough and stormed off to have a word or two with Orochi about her tendency to give orders to _his_ retainers. This had backfired spectacularly when Orochi misinterpreted (willfully) Takumi’s complaints as him wanting to take a more active role on the planning committee. He then found himself pulled into hours of meetings with her and Yukimura in which they agonized over what felt like every word of every speech Corrin would give, remark she would make or conversation she would have on her journey.

“We must avoid referring to Corrin as the ‘lost princess,’ as focus groups found that confusing and uninspiring,” Yukimura had insisted.

“How about we call her the ‘found princess’ then?”

“Don’t be a smart ass Takumi!”

Corrin herself had flitted about the castle doing god knows what, but making the entire staff fall in love with her in the process. When Takumi had suggested they consult the person who would actually be delivering the speeches they wrote, rewrote, and rewrote again, Orochi had given him a pointed look. “Best not to bother dear Corrin with this. She’s been through enough as it is.”

Ryoma, too, was spending hours of his days overseeing tour preparations, writing to every minor lord, chieftain, mayor and dog-catcher in Hoshido to ensure their attendance. His brother certainly had a gift for rallying allies to his side in times of need, but Takumi was not convinced that their need was currently so great. When he’d raised his concerns with Ryoma, the king had said simply “the people of Hoshido are our first priority,” as if Takumi didn’t know that. “Maintaining their support is of the utmost importance.”

For all of two months the tour was all anyone at the castle could talk about, and Takumi was starting to feel like he had lost his mind again. They had just fought a war for god’s sake, and now had the largest nation in the world was dependent on them for pretty much everything but military strength and awful fashion. And Ryoma’s main concern was a _victory parade_ ? As if Corrin hadn’t gotten enough attention fumbling her way to victory as commander of the invading force, now she would _literally_ be paraded around Hoshido for everyone to bow down and worship.

Not that Takumi would have to see any of it. A week before their departure, just as he was warming up to the idea of spending a few weeks on the road appreciating the natural beauty and different cuisines of his homeland, Ryoma had delivered his blow. Citing Takumi’s indifference to the victory tour, Ryoma informed him that when his family left for their glorified vacation, Takumi would set off for Nohr to begin his stint as ambassador and recovery overseer. Ryoma, Hinoka and Corrin would meet all the most important people in Hoshido, accept gifts, deliver speeches and bask in the sunlight, while Takumi was shipped off to the darkest place on earth, out of sight and surrounded by the very people who’d tried to conquer his homeland not 6 months prior.

But that was the whole point, Takumi supposed. If Ryoma’s goal in showing Corrin off was to ensure the continued support of the Hoshidan people, he couldn’t risk Takumi mucking it up with an untimely outburst or offhanded insult. Takumi had always been the least favored of the royal siblings among their people, a fact that Hinoka had teased him for relentlessly when they were kids. She and Ryoma were true warriors, like all of Hoshido’s kings and queens had been, and both possessed the rare ability to rouse an entire army with a few inspiring words. Sakura was the perfect princess, sweet and soft spoken she’d captured Hoshido’s collective heart from a young age. And Corrin, their lost princess, had been taken from them so early that she had always been more of a symbol to the Hoshidan people, albeit one that inspired a great deal of devotion.

That left Takumi. The spoiled youngest brother who couldn’t inspire the confidence of his own siblings, let alone an entire country. He would only get in the way of his more charming siblings on their victory tour, just as he had gotten in their way on the battlefield. His still face heated up as he remembered how many times he’d fallen during the invasion, how many times Hinoka had had to swoop in and save him, or Ryoma had taken out an enemy he’d had missed, or Sakura had healed a wound that might have proven fatal.

Even Azura, _Nohrian born_ Azura, had proven to be a better asset to Hoshido during the war than he had been. And before the war, if he was being honest. His eyes still stung, all these months later, when he thought of his foster sister who they’d lost. He wasn’t sure if it was grief that brought the tears to his eyes or shame; shame at his reliance on her song for strength when all seemed lost, shame for how he’d treated her all those years, and mostly shame at not being able to save her. When he closed his eyes he could still see her lying on the cold, stone floor of the Nohrian throne room, disappearing before his eyes, reaching out to him as he stood there, powerless.

Which of course brought him of his greatest failure, his colossal betrayal of Azura, his own siblings and the country he was supposed to protect. His hatred and jealousy had left his mind open to corruption and nearly cost him his sanity, but had cost those around him so much more. All those people in the rebels’ hideout in Cheve, the bravest that Nohr had to offer, all struck down because of him. Azura, too, was dead after using the song that would kill her to save him from his own weakness. The rest of his family would be as well, if it wasn’t for her. Really, Ryoma should have sent him away long ago.

“ _You know I chose you because you were the weakest, right?_ ” Iago’s words still echoed in Takumi’s head all these months later. He had known, of course that he was the least of the Hoshidan royal family. He had always known. But that still hadn’t prepared him to hear it said out loud.

If only he’d been able to strike the final blow, to say he’d freed himself once and for all from Iago’s slimy grip. But no. That honor had gone to the new king of Nohr, the one factor that had somehow made Takumi’s already bleak outlook on the year ahead even worse.

King Leo of Nohr was, in Takumi’s humble opinion, the most arrogant person on the face of the earth and the last person he ever would have chosen to oversee a major humanitarian aid project with. He knew that Nohrians could be a bit rude, but Leo must have been an outlier even by their standards. He had somehow managed to insult Takumi every single time they’d met, not even including when they’d been adversaries on the battlefield. It was almost impressive, how good Leo was at making himself unlikeable. At Ryoma’s coronation he’d even had the gall to mock Takumi for crying about his poor dead sister who, lest anyone forget, _was Leo’s sister too_! And Takumi hadn’t even been crying!

 _Of course_ he’d had to come rushing in and kill Iago, right out from under Takumi. The one chance Takumi had to take some responsibility for the pain he’d caused, stolen away because that absolute clown had wanted to feel better about himself after choosing the wrong side. Takumi was sure that Leo had had ample opportunity to take out the king’s tactician before then, but of course he’d waited until he had an audience to actually do it. Plus he’d probably enjoyed knowing that Takumi was under Iago’s spell, laughed with his siblings imagining Takumi selling out his own, and hadn’t wanted to end the fun early.

 _That’s not true_ , said a voice in the back of Takumi’s mind. _Corrin said they didn’t know. They promised Corrin they didn’t know._ But Corrin is naive, Takumi thought, and loved her adoptive siblings so much that she would have believed anything they said. And Leo definitely seemed like the type who would lie to his sweet, gullible sister. In fact, Takumi had already seen it happen once, in the Woods of the Forlorn.

And that was another thing! Takumi couldn’t imagine the level of egotism required to engineer an entire battle and summon a whole army of Faceless to soothe his own inferiority complex, but apparently that was par for the course with King Leo. And in a _graveyard_ no less. “ _The sister I once loved is dead,”_ he’d said, _“it’s only fitting_.” What a melodramatic idiot.

Leo had somehow managed to make an entire _war_ about himself and his stupid hurt feelings. If the Nohrian king took everything as goddamn _personally_ as he had Corrin siding with her own family over a sadistic maniac who had kidnapped and tried to murder her, then this was going to be a very frustrating year.

A tiny sob interrupted Takumi’s thoughts, and he reached to pat Sakura’s hand for what felt like the millionth time since they’d left. Takumi was honestly a little impressed at his younger sister’s ability to cry for thirty-six hours straight without stopping, but really wished she could have picked another time to display her talent. He’d known Sakura was unhappy about their assignment weeks before their departure and had really felt for her as she’d said her tearful goodbye to Hayato. But really, this was getting out of hand. Takumi was highly certain that no person was worth that many tears, especially not the skinny Wind Tribe diviner. Had he been asked before this whole mess, he would have scoffed at the idea of Sakura crying like this over some boy, he thought his sister was above that girly nonsense. But Sakura was a girl after all, and girls were just like that, Takumi supposed.

Still, it was a bit of a comfort to know that he wasn’t the only one who was less than thrilled with their shared situation.

“It’s going to be okay Sakura,” he repeated, putting an arm around her shoulder. “We’ll be back in Hoshido in a few months. Maybe we can take the long route through the Wind Tribe on our way back.”

This, for some reason, made Sakura cry even harder. “Y-you’ll be back in a few months!” she cried out through sobs “While I-I’m left all a-alone in N-Nohr, _ah_ -”

Takumi frowned. “What? Sakura, I know you’re still upset about what happened to Corrin but that was ages ago, and we’re going to Nohr of our own free will,” _at least technically_ , he added silently. “Why would I ever leave you alone there?”

“D-don’t you know? Didn’t he tell you?”

“Tell me what? Ryoma?” Takumi was taken aback. Ryoma had clearly shared something important with Sakura that he’d kept from him. “Did he tell you something about why we’re being sent here?”

“He- he didn’t have to say anything! It’s obvious isn’t it?”

“Sakura, if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about-”

“Oh Takumi, he’s sent me here to- to marry _him_!” Sakura was overcome by sobs.

Takumi paused as he realized his previous assessment that no man was worth crying this much over was incorrect. He would probably behave similarly if he was being married off to the brat king.

But Ryoma loved Sakura, probably more than he did any of his other siblings. He had always watched over her, and made sure that Hinoka and Takumi did too, ever since their parents’ deaths and especially since Corrin was kidnapped. It had been a kind of unspoken agreement between the three of them that Sakura was to be protected at all costs. Takumi supposed there had been a time when Ryoma and Hinoka had watched over him like that, but he couldn’t remember it.

He sighed. “Sakura, you know Ryoma would never marry you off to someone without at least telling you first. He cares about you way too much to treat you like a bargaining chip. And besides,” he added, “there hasn’t been a political marriage in Hoshido for at least a generation. Dad got rid of all that stuff before we were even born.”

“Then, then w-why would he s-s-send me here at all?”

Takumi rolled his eyes. “Honestly Sakura. This fishing for compliments thing is getting old.” She stopped crying for a moment to glare at him. “I’m serious,” he continued, “it’s obvious why Ryoma sent you, do you really need me to spell it out?”

“I know why he sent me! I’m n-not a leader like him or strong like Hinoka or s-s-smart like you. There’s only one th-thing I could be good for and it’s-”

“Oh give me a break.”

“-marriage! Okay then why do YOU think I’m here you big JERK?”

“No, I’m not indulging you.” Takumi said, crossing his arms. “Self-deprecation is unfitting for the future queen of Nohr and I wouldn’t want to reward bad- hey, HEY! I was kidding okay? I’m sorry!” But it was too late as Sakura broke down all over again.

“Okay you really want to know why Ryoma sent you here? Fine!” Takumi raised his voice as he began counting on his fingers. “You’re good at mediating conflict and getting people to compromise. The people of Hoshido have always loved you better than any of us so there’s no reason to think that the Nohrians won’t too. And you’re incredibly gifted at winning people over and making them do what you want. Like you did with me, just now. Are you happy?”

Sakura sniffled but had stopped crying. “Do you really think that?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, I know it. Ryoma told me. And it’s obvious. Now the real question is why Ryoma sent me here.”

“What do you mean?” Sakura asked, looking up. “You’re here to oversee our aid effort.”

“Well, yeah but any bureaucrat could do that.” Takumi said. “It’s likely that I’m here to protect you, but,” he sighed, “he probably also wanted me out of the way while they show Corrin off so I don’t remind people that they don’t like the royal family. I’ve always been the least- OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?”

Sakura raised her festal to hit him again. “You’re unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLE! You yell at me for wallowing in self-pity and then turn around and do the exact same thing!”

“I’m not _wallowing_ Sakura I’m just-”

“You’re self-centered is what you are! And you’re a little s-sexist.”

“ _Sexist_? What does sex have to do with any of this?”

“You think that just because y-you’re a man your feelings are _sooooo_ important, but you t-tell me to shut up about mine! That’s sexist”

“Sakura I think you’re reading into this a little- AH!” The carriage slammed to a stop and both Takumi and Sakura were thrown from their seats onto the floor.

As they picked themselves up Takumi heard a pitiful moan from outside the carriage. Oboro appeared at the window. “Lord Takumi, please come with me, and hurry,” she said, her face pale. “There’s something you should see. Lady Sakura, you better stay here.”

Takumi pulled himself up and out of the carriage quickly, one hand on his Fujin Yumi. To his surprise Sakura followed close behind. Oboro shot her a worried look but said nothing as Takumi shook his head at her. If his sister wanted to pick right now to start acting like an adult, he wasn’t going to stop her.

He made a quick assessment of his surroundings, the village they had stopped near looked normal, if quieter than those they had already passed through. Its main square, about a hundred yards from the road, partially hidden behind a tall, haphazard log fence, was littered with large heaps of something Takumi couldn’t quite make out. At its edge, peering through the gaps in the fence were dozens of pairs of eyes, and all seemed to be on him. He drew his bow but continued behind Oboro.

The wailing was coming from in front of the caravan, a few carriages up. As the source of the sound came into view, Takumi stopped in his tracks to make sense of what he was seeing.

A woman, at least, he thought it was a woman, it couldn’t be anything _but_ a woman, but she looked so _unlike_ a woman, laid prostrate on the ground under the hooves of the Nohrian draft horses. She was dressed in rags and so skinny that Takumi swore he could see her bones even through the grey and rotting fabric that swallowed her whole. Her skin was waxy and paper thin, blisters covering her exposed knuckles and sallow cheeks. Her eyes seemed to bulge out of her warped and sunken face as she looked up at Takumi and cried out to him.

“Please,” she rasped, “please, take him, help him, please, please, please.” her voice cracked like a rusted hinge, and it was the most horrible thing Takumi had ever heard. Worse even than the cries of soldiers falling as they were cut down on the battlefield. Her cries were pathetic and far longer than those who died suddenly in the heat of battle. Hers was a cruel, drawn-out death, and Takumi could do nothing but watch.

His sister however, pushed past him pulling out her festal, and knelt on the ground next to the woman, where the two priest-healers who accompanied the caravan were already at work. Sakura’s retainer, usually so calm and poised rushed forward to stop her. Hana lunged forward and pulled him back. “Subaki, don’t! She knows what she’s doing.”

Sakura put one hand on the woman’s shoulder, the other held the festal in a shaky but firm grip as she murmured an incantation that Takumi hadn’t heard since the war ended.The open sores covering the woman’s skin began to close, but Takumi didn’t have to be a healer to know it wouldn’t be nearly enough to save her. Sakura must have realized this too, as she put down the festal and placed a soft hand on the woman’s skeletal one.

It was then that Takumi noticed that she was holding onto something, a small bundle folded in rags. He watched as Sakura tried to ease it out of the woman’s grip, which seemed much stronger than it should have been for someone with virtually no muscle. Sakura whispered something to her and her arms loosened, falling limp to her sides as Sakura pulled back the fabric to reveal what was underneath. Nothing, not even the sight of the wretched woman could prepare Takumi for what he saw then. In Sakura’s arms was a baby, unnatural in its smallness and stillness, and very clearly dead.

Takumi’s vision swam as he finally unrooted himself from where he stood. He staggered away from the small crowd of guards that had gathered and vomited violently on the side of the road. He felt a hand on his back as he slowly rose, wiping his mouth with the back of his glove. Distantly he heard a loud crash, and what sounded like rolling thunder.

“Lord Takumi,” Hinata said. “Uh, we’ve got to get back to your carriage. Like, now.” Takumi raised his eyes, still halfway bent over. The villagers had broken through the fence, and were running toward the caravan, toward him.

Someone several yards away was shouting orders, at whom he didn’t know. Takumi barely had time to notice that several guards in Nohrian colors had joined their own before Hinata all but threw him back into his the carriage.

More people were shouting now. Takumi peeked out of the window and tried to make sense of the scene before him, though he still felt lightheaded. A small crowd had formed around Sakura and the woman, many of them banging on the doors of the supply wagon. They were being looted, he realized.

Beginning to panic, Takumi realized that his sister was blocked from his view. He tried to open the carriage but the handle wouldn’t turn. Hinata had locked him in. _No, no no_ , he thought. _I wasn’t supposed to fail this time!_ _I was supposed to protect her_!

Takumi threw himself at the wall of the carriage with everything he had, but the door wouldn’t budge. For one wild moment he took hold of Fujin Yumi and was halfway to conjuring an arrow when the door flew open. Sakura was pushed in, followed by Subaki, Hana, Hinata and Oboro, and Saizo, who Takumi hadn’t even known was with the caravan. Oboro slammed the door shut behind her and shouted to their driver “Go, _GO_ , what are you waiting for?!”

The carriage slowly rolled into motion. Takumi, who was now squeezed between his sister and the floor of the carriage designed for four, pulled himself to the window. Royal and Nohrian guards held the crowd at bay, but only barely.

“Help us! HELP US!”

“Princess Sakura, please! _Please!_ ”

“We’re starving! My son is STARVING TO DEATH.”

“ _You promised_!”

“GET BACK INSIDE. BACK INTO YOUR HOMES NOW!” A Nohrian guard used the blunt end of his spear to smack a young boy holding a rock to the ground. He couldn’t have been more than eleven.

Takumi couldn’t look away as the guards pushed the crowd further and further back from the wagons. Even though they outnumbered the guards, the people were no match, their limbs looked so frail and skinny that he was sure they would snap in half if a soldier used too much force. Beyond them, Takumi finally recognized the strange bundles in the street for what they were: people’s bodies, emaciated, collapsed in the middle of the road from exhaustion or starvation or worse. Were they dead, or just passed out? Takumi didn’t want to know.

“Lord Takumi, get DOWN!” this time it was Oboro who yanked him away from the open window and to the floor, just as rocks started pummeling the side of the carriage. She whipped his head back and held him down until the dull roar of the mob died behind them.

Slowly he rose as he felt Oboro’s grip loosen on his shoulder. Rubbing his neck, he looked around at his carriage mates, all of whom besides Saizo looked about as shaken as he felt.

“What- what happened?”

“What do you mean?” Hana asked. “You were right there weren’t you?”

“I- uh,” he glanced at Hinata, who covered for him without missing a beat.

“I made him get back in the carriage,” he said, “Soon as Sakura started talking with that lady, I could just tell there was going to be trouble.”

Takumi let out his breath and made a mental note to give Hinata a raise.

“Oh. That woman, the one who threw herself in front of the car lunged at Lady Sakura,” Hana said. “So Saizo here decided it would be a great time to reveal himself-”

“She threatened the Hoshidan princess," Saizo cut in. “It was my duty to protect her, by any means necessary.”

“She wasn’t going to hurt me!” Sakura cried. “She was grieving, she just wanted her baby back. And you tried to hurt her!”

“I did my duty, Princess Sakura, which is more than your retainers can say after letting you approach her in the first place.”

“My deepest apologies, Lady Sakura,” Subaki said, bowing his head. “I have failed you. Though I swear I shall not let you down again.” Hana rolled her eyes at Subaki but looked like she was about to cry.

“The two of you have n-nothing to apologize for!” Sakura said. “We had nothing to fear from that woman. She was so weak, she c-couldn’t have hurt me if she wanted to.”

“Don’t be so sure of that, Lady Sakura.” Saizo said. “It could easily have been a ruse.”

“She couldn’t even walk! In fact none of those poor people posed any sort of threat. They were just hungry.” She turned toward Takumi as best she could in the cramped carriage. “We have food we could have shared with them. Why didn’t we share it?”

“I- we have shared our food with them.” Takumi replied as the full implications of the incident started to dawn on him.

“You know what I mean!”

“I know, I know,” he said. “But they shouldn’t have even needed food from our caravan. I’ve been reading the reports that Ryoma gets from the aid captains, and pretty much nothing else over the last few weeks. Not one report mentioned an entire village of people on the verge of starvation. Not one, Sakura. ”

“Well we must have missed a village.”

“No. We would never have missed a village that’s directly on Corrin Road,” Takumi said. “We’re what, halfway between Windmire and the Bottomless Canyon?”

“Almost exactly,” Saizo said.

“Right.” Takumi said, closing his eyes and picturing the words on the page he had read the week prior. “I know this town. It’s called Hollen village, it’s in Furbach territory. It’s got a population of around 600. They got their first aid shipment around 7 weeks after the war, 5 after Ryoma was crowned. Eight tons of rice and six of soybeans, I think it was, on top of four tons each of fish and vegetables. They’ve gotten another shipment every 2 weeks since then, enough for around 750 people to live comfortably. We overshot just to make sure...” He could even see Leo’s prissy signature at the bottom of the latest report, in blue ink instead of black, which had really annoyed Takumi.

He opened his eyes to find those of everyone in the wagon on him.

“D’you really remember all that Lord Takumi?” Hana asked.

“Lord Takumi remembers everything he reads!” Oboro piped up. “It’s amazing!”

“Not everything,” Takumi said, blushing. “Mostly just numbers, sometimes.” _And certain images_ , he added silently. The sight of the dead woman reaching out to him might be burned into his mind forever.

“Well then the reports must have been wrong,” Sakura said quietly.

“Yeah.” Takumi said, turning back toward the window. “They must have been wrong.”

But how could they have been wrong? Ryoma had received the utmost assurance from Leo that all was going to plan. The aid rollout was overseen by the lords of each Nohrian region, and each lord sent Leo monthly reports, after they were signed off on by a Hoshidan aid captain. Leo had assured Ryoma that he personally approved each document before it was sent off to Shirasagi for their records.

And therein lay the problem, he realized. Takumi almost had to laugh at how stupid it was, in hindsight, to place so much trust in any Nohrian, let alone the king of them. But Ryoma had always been trusting, far too trusting for his own good. _Maybe_ , that voice in the back of Takumi’s head said, _that’s why he’s sending you to Nohr rather than overseeing the recovery himself_.

Well, whatever the reason, if Ryoma really wanted him to do this job, he was going to do it right.

He looked back to his sister. Sakura was not crying, but the haunted expression she now wore was much worse. He had been powerless to protect her in Hollen village, but he wouldn’t let that happen again. He _couldn’t_ let it happen again. Azura was gone, but Sakura was still here, and she needed him. All those people back in the village needed him, too. Takumi reached across the carriage to grab his sister’s hand, and she squeezed back with such strength he was sure it would leave a mark.

“I’ll go to King Leo as soon as we arrive,” he said. “We'll get to the bottom of this.” She nodded.

Hinata and Subaki climbed out of the wagon for their lookout shifts at the caravan’s next stop. They realized that Saizo had disappeared from the cramped carriage without anyone noticing, and Takumi wondered vaguely why he had snuck along with them in the first place. Probably because Ryoma didn’t actually trust him to protect Sakura, he decided. The incident in the village had proven that he was right not to, but Takumi had learned his lesson. They wouldn’t be needing Saizo’s help again.

* * *

The trip wore on without incident, raindrops intermittently drumming against the walls of their wagon, the sharp staccato doing very little to help Takumi relax. Had the first half of their journey felt this long?  With each hour spent in the wagon, Takumi felt greater urgency to talk to Leo and figure out why his reports were so wrong. Was it sheer incompetence, or something more sinister? Takumi hoped it was the former but feared otherwise. Either way, he would make Leo answer for his deadly negligence. He still couldn’t shake the image of the woman lying on the ground with her dead child, or the starving boy who’d been struck down by the Nohrian guard. Every second that Leo remained the sole overseer of the recovery in Nohr, peoples’ lives were at risk.  When the caravan finally rolled past the walls of Windmire, it was all Takumi could do not to leap from the carriage and sprint the rest of the way to the castle.

“Will you stop that?” Sakura snapped at him as they passed through the cobbled streets.

“Stop what?”

“Tapping your foot like that! It woke me up an hour ago and it’s been driving me insane ever since!”

Takumi hadn’t even noticed he was doing it, he’d been too busy crafting the perfect argument for his confrontation with Leo. “Why didn’t you say something earlier then?”

“Because you seem so tense, and I didn’t want to upset you even more.” Sakura replied.

“I’m not tense! I’m perfectly calm. I just have urgent business to attend, and we’ve been sitting in this wagon for _two fucking days_.”

“You should have slept some of it, that would have made it go faster.” Sakura said. “And maybe then you wouldn’t be so anxious.”

“Not anxious.” Takumi said, but his heart was pounding as they entered the tunnel into the pit that housed Castle Krakenburg.

The darkness must have stretched for miles, and as they descended Takumi tried not to think about how much earth and rock separated him from the sky above. Humans were not meant to be this far underground, of that Takumi was sure. Nohrians were truly unnatural.

They finally emerged into the walled pit, onto the bridge leading up to the great spire at its center. Halfway across a welcome party stood to greet the Hoshidans, a rather sinister looking man with an eye patch at the fore and a small cluster of maids and butlers behind him. Leo was not among them, at which Takumi felt perfectly justified in taking offense.

“Welcome. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you,” said the one-eyed man, sounding like he had never been less pleased.

“Where’s Leo?” he demanded. “I need an audience with him immediately.”

He cocked his head, “My, that’s moving a little fast, don’t you think? You’ve only just arrived, and you must be tired from your journey.”

“Excuse me? I don’t remember asking for your opinion.” Takumi wasn’t sure why this uppity servant was smirking at him, but it made him want to blacken his one good eye.

“My apologies,” he sneered. “You must be Takumi.” He made a great show of bowing as low as he physically could. “My name is Niles, chief of staff and first retainer to His Royal Highness, King Leo of Nohr.”

“It’s _Prince_ Takumi, actually.” he said, crossing his arms. “Would you bring us to him now? I have a very urgent matter to discuss with him.”

“Very urgent you say, _Prince_ Takumi?” Niles said, his sly grin widening. “Now that sounds important. Unfortunately King Leo has other matters to attend to, or he would be here with us now.”

Takumi didn’t have time to waste on rude servants. “Enough from you. Either take me to the king now or I’ll find someone else who will.”

Niles’ smile faded, and he looked him up and down before responding as if he were deciding whether or not he could physically overpower Takumi if he had to. “You should know that King Leo doesn’t take well to being interrupted.”

“And I don’t take well to servants telling me what to do!”

“Takumi, don’t be so rude!” Sakura put a hand on his shoulder and addressed Niles. “I apologize for my brother, you’re right that it has been a long journey and we’re both quite tired. But he is right that we need to speak with King Leo at once. We encountered something truly troubling on our way here that requires urgent attention. Please, Lord Niles, we wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t t-truly dire.”

Niles scowl remained but he looked slightly less ready to hit Takumi. “Fine then,” he said. “But only to keep your charming brother here from harassing the rest of the castle staff.”

Sakura bowed her head in thanks and Takumi rolled his eyes. “Great.” he said. “Lead the way.”

“Of course, _your highness_.”

Takumi followed him with Hinata and Sakura at his side as Oboro helped a butler unload their wagon. He led them across the remainder treacherous bridge and through the great stone archway into the center tower. Their footsteps echoed off the high, barren walls as they climbed the stairs toward the great wrought-iron doors that guarded the throne room.

Sakura grabbed his arm, stopping him. “I'll come with you. It will mean more coming from b-both of us.”

She was probably right, but the bags under her eyes gave Takumi pause. “You should get some rest, Sakura. I can handle this myself.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he said with confidence. “Leave it to me. This kind of thing is what Ryoma sent me here for after all.”

“O-okay, if you’re sure,” she said, though she looked a little skeptical. “Good luck, Takumi.” She squeezed his hand again with a small smile and set off the opposite way down the hall. Takumi looked after her for a moment and then, taking a deep breath to steel himself, reached towards the door.

“ _Ahem_.” Niles coughed. “Your _very urgent_ business is this way Prince Takumi.”

“I asked you to take me to Leo.”

“That’s _King_ Leo to you,” he said with a pointed look. “And I am. Now if you would follow me.”

“Doesn’t he conduct his important business from the throne room?”

“No.” Niles smirked at him again. “My lord prefers a more _intimate_ setting for his personal matters.”

Takumi’s eyes narrowed, making Niles grin even wider. He’d never wanted to smack a look off of someone’s face so badly, but he restrained himself. Attacking Leo’s trusted retainer in the middle of the castle would certainly not help his cause.

They walked in silence for what felt like a mile, the empty hallway twisting them around and around in circles until Takumi had no idea what direction he faced in relation to where they started. He couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d tried to navigate Castle Krakenburg’s tortuous halls, searching for a different king with a different noble cause in his heart. He’d been fighting to save Hoshido then, with his brother and sisters and his closest friends in the world at his side. Now it was just him and Hinata, and instead of weapons all he had was his word.

And he was sticking his neck out for _Nohrians_ of all people. He shook his head at the absurdity, six months ago he’d never have believed he’d be in this position. But he was younger then, and had barely even been outside Hoshido. He’d been weak and stupid, too self absorbed to think about anybody but himself. The war had taught him better, and now he was finally ready to live up to his title as prince. He had a responsibility to protect not only to his own people, but also the people whose misery he’d witnessed that day. Ryoma had made them a promise at the end of the war, and Takumi intended to keep it. He thought again of the woman and her child, and let his righteous fury on their behalf fill him as Niles stopped at the entrance to King Leo’s council chamber.

“Here we are,” Niles said. “Wait here while I-”

“I don’t think so,” Takumi said and threw open the door.

He burst into a long, narrow room, the sound of the heavy door echoing off the high, rib vaulted ceiling as its occupants fell silent, turning toward Takumi with alarm. Lavishly dressed nobles sat around an ornate table in the center of the room, stacks of books and scrolls lying open, momentarily forgotten on the table before them.

Leaning over the table at its opposite end, silhouetted by the dim light from the tall, Gothic windows stood the Nohrian king. Looking up from the map he’d been studying, Leo’s wide eyes met Takumi’s, his mouth hanging halfway open in surprise.

A split second later guards emerged from the corners, hands on their weapons as they moved to defend their respective lords. A woman in a full suit of pink armor, lunged between Takumi and Leo, her face furious.

“Stand down, stand down,” came Niles’ exasperated voice from behind him. “You too, Effie,” he added, addressing the woman guarding Leo. For a moment she stayed in place, glaring more at Niles than at Takumi even as the other guards retreated back into the shadows, but eventually she too moved back, revealing the king now standing up straight and looking deeply annoyed.

“Niles,” he said, looking down his nose at Takumi, “what is the meaning of this interruption?”

“Prince Takumi of Hoshido has arrived and demands an audience with you at once, your highness,” Niles said from somewhere behind him. “If that wasn’t obvious.”

“Thank you, Niles,” he said, eyes still on Takumi. “This is quite unexpected,” he said, cooly.

“Yeah, well,” Takumi said, crossing his arms, “we found something pretty unexpected on our way here.”

“Oh?” Leo said, “Something unexpected enough to justify barging into my private meeting with Nohr’s highest ranking lords?”

“It’s much more important than whatever this is if that’s what you’re asking,” Takumi replied.

“Forgive me,” Leo said, coming around the table to face Takumi directly. “I’m not sure how you worked that out, considering you were not invited to this meeting and don’t know or understand what we were talking about.”

“ _I don’t under-_ what’s that supposed to mean?” He couldn’t afford to lose his temper, not now, but that didn’t stop the color from rising in his cheeks.

“What do you think?” Leo asked. Without waiting for a response he continued. “But since you’re so upset about whatever it is that drove you to barge in here like an _absolute lunatic_ , I’ll clear some time to hear you out tomorrow. Now if you’ll excuse us-”

“No.” Takumi said, stepping forward. He saw Effie tense out of the corner of his eye. “We’re going to talk about this now. I’m in charge of Hoshido’s aid to your country, and I’m not going to sit around and let you mismanage it for another second longer.”

Something strange flashed in Leo’s eyes, but it was gone before Takumi could decide what it was, replaced with an even more menacing glare. “You’re confused, Takumi.”

“It’s Prince Takumi to you.”

“My deepest apologies. _Prince_ Takumi, I’m afraid you are sorely mistaken about the status of the Nohrian recovery _and_ whose responsibility it is. Perhaps if you’d read the reports I’ve sent to Shirasagi twice a week for the last-”

“Oh, I read them.” Takumi interrupted, closing the distance between them further. “Now that _I’m_ the one who’s in charge of _Hoshido’s_ aid effort, I read every page you sent us. I read that Hollen village, which is only about 50 miles east of here on Corrin Road, in the Furbach duchy, got a delivery of over twenty tons of food last week. You signed the report in blue, I saw it.”

“Well color me impressed, Prince Takumi. King Ryoma didn’t tell me you could read.”

“But I was in Hollen village today,” continued Takumi, louder, trying his best to ignore Leo’s jab. “The people there haven’t eaten in weeks, maybe more. They were dying in the streets, I saw-” he broke off, swallowed, and continued, “I saw them dying. There was nothing we could do.”

Leo was silent, narrowed eyes on Takumi, and for a moment he dared to think he had gotten through to the king. But then Leo turned away. “You’re mistaken, Prince Takumi.” he said, walking back toward the table and flipping through a records book absentmindedly. “I’ve received no reports of dissatisfaction among the people from Duke Furbach, much less mass starvation. But it’s understandable,” he said, looking back at Takumi over his shoulder. “Seeing as you’ve spent your whole life in a palace, you’re not used to seeing people make do with little. But we’ve been less fortunate in Nohr. It must be shocking for you to see how the common people live outside prosperous Hoshido, but I promise you’ll get used to it.”

“Unbelievable.” Takumi was seeing red. Here he was, trying to do the right thing, and Leo was _mocking_ him for it. “I’m telling you that real people, _Nohrian people_ , are starving but you’re too blinded by your own ego to do anything about it. _People are dying!_ ”

“Oh, don’t make a scene, Prince Takumi.”

“I’m not-” he paused and took a deep breath. “You can ask anyone from our party, ask my sister, she tried to help and they surrounded her. They attacked our caravan, they threw rocks at us.”

“That sounds _awful_ .” Leo said, turning back toward Takumi with feigned concern. “You were surrounded you by untrained villagers? Armed with _rocks_? How did you and your elite samurai guards make it out alive?”

 _Don’t take the bait. Don’t take the bait._ Takumi told himself.

“I wasn’t - we weren’t afraid, and that’s not the point!” he sputtered. “They couldn’t stand a chance against us but they didn’t have a choice! They were desperate because YOU haven’t done anything to help them!”

“ _That’s a lie_.” Now Leo was raising his voice. “Everything I’ve done for the last eight months has been for them. I’ve made sacrifices you couldn’t even _begin_ to understand.”

“Well then you’re a complete failure, and YOUR PEOPLE are dying because of it.”

“SHUT UP.” Leo shouted. He seemed to have struck a nerve. “I won’t let you slander me in front of-”

“YOU’RE THE ONE LYING!” Takumi was shouting back at him now, close enough to spit on Leo if he wanted. “That's what this is! You’re covering it up to protect your stupid reputation! You KNOW they’re dying and you just don’t care!”

Leo yelled over him, “You’re just as UNHINGED as you were during the war-”

“You’re a _fucking monster_ ,” Takumi yelled even louder, “Ryoma NEVER should have trusted you.”

“The most childish, temperamental, immature-”

“Absolutely SICK, even for a Nohrian-”

“Self-absorbed, mentally unstable, spoiled BRAT I’ve EVER seen!”

“What kind of king doesn’t even care about _his own people_!”

You were a liability to your own family then and you’re a liability to me now. Seriously, Takumi, what’s wro-”

“TAKUMI, NO!”

But Takumi’s fist had already collided with Leo’s face with a _very_ satisfying crunch. Leo stumbled back, wearing a shocked expression and a good deal of blood, but in the next moment lunged at Takumi as if to kill him with his bare hands.

Just as quickly Effie appeared behind Leo and wrapped her arms around him, picking him up as easily as one would pick up a small child having a tantrum. Before Takumi could see what she did with him, Hinata was there pulling him out of the room with all his might, yelling apologies at anyone who would listen as guards filled the space between the two royals, swords pointed at Takumi. For his part, Takumi could only stumble backwards behind Hinata, his fist still clenched and eyes fixed on the place where Leo had just disappeared from his view.

 _What have I done,_ he thought. _Oh god. What have I done?_

“Get him OUT of here. GET HIM OUT!” Leo screamed from somewhere across the room.

“Yep, working on it!” Hinata called back, much too chipper given the situation. “Takumi, buddy, time to go!”

Takumi’s legs kicked into gear and he let Hinata drag him into a sprint as they crossed the threshold back into the darkened corridor. He looked back for a split second at the council chamber in complete disarray, nobles chattering angrily and guards still in a tight formation around where Leo must have been. Then Niles appeared at the door, a twinkle in his eyes.

“What a wonderful first impression you’ve made,”  he said with a devilish grin. “Welcome to Nohr, Prince Takumi,” and he shut the door in his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize until I started writing this how god awful the world building in Fates was. Like there isn't even a political map, just that weird google earth looking thing. Am going to be pulling a lot of logistics/location info/town names out of my ass as a result, but I'm up for the challenge!
> 
> Going to try to update every month! I wrote this in like 2 weeks but I was feeling pretty inspired so we'll see if I can keep it up.


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